Apr 30, 2011

this is MAC's Beauty Powder in Shell Pearl. it was a limited edition item in their Give Me Liberty Of London collection last spring. i didn't get it when it was just released, then kind of regretted (after seeing numerous swatches online) and went back to the counter to buy it but it was sold out already.
when i tried their Beauty Powders for the first time with those from the Stylishly Yours collection (Too Chic and Play It Proper), i learned to appreciate their fine texture, much finer than MSFs and with a more subtle effect. so i regretted even more not getting Shell Pearl. and when Catrice came out with their Wonderland collection and this beautiful highlighter that reminded me of Shell Pearl, i couldn't get it and regretted even more.
luckily i came across a blog sale of a fellow blogger who wanted to separate from it after only 2-3 uses some weeks ago, so i grabbed my chance immediately ;)
Beauty Powders contain 10g of product, this particular one originally cost 29€ i think (i paid something about 20€ with shipping included from overseas).
the packaging surely is not everybody's favourite, and definitely not my preference. but i always say to myself: "it's the content that matters!" with MAC, since it's not a bad quality but just a borderline design.

Shell Pearl is a light pink with fine gold pearl (unlike Play It Proper which had a white pearl sheen). it has a very fine texture just like i expected and creates a fine glowy gold sheen. in the pearly effect, it reminds me of Laura Mercier Orange Blossom, but it different in colour. it applies evenly and doesn't emphasize my enlarged pores too much. it's too light for me to be used as a blusher, i guess it will be more visible on fair skin tones (nc15 and lighter). but with it's light pink base colour it still gives me a hint of colour, so i like to wear it on a larger area than if i would use a highlight powder only. together with a bronzey contour, it looks really good!

after this shade has been raved about by LisaLisaD1 and some other of my favourite "haulers" on youtube months and months ago, i definitely wanted to try this shade some time. i always hesitated because the Bare Escentuals (what's their real brand name actually? bare escentuals, bare minerals, i.d. minerals???) products are really pricey for what you get.
the loose mineral eyeshadows cost 14£/13$ for the tiniest amount of only 0.57g.
i ordered the Bare Minerals Nude Beach on lookfantastic.com while they had a sale going on and free delivery, so it was less painful for my budget (i would pay a lot for good stuff, but not if i only get µg-amounts of them!).
as always with lookfantastic, she shipping time was incredibly long. i waited almost 4 weeks for this order from the uk!
this loose eyeshadow comes in a simple sifter jar. Nude Beach belongs to their Glimmer line, which are more sparkly than the Velvet or Glimpse shadows. it's a high shimmer mauvey beige with an almost metallic finish. the texture is rather dry, i guess because it doesn't contain binding ingredients. i would describe it as a glitter/loose shadow-hybrid. so be careful with your application, pressing motions are better than swiping in order to avoid fall outs. a good eyelid primer or cream eyeshadow as a base would also help. on my lids, it's very shiny and glowy and gives a bright awake look. it's not as subtle or dimensional as i have imagined by LisaLisaD1's descriptions and remembers me of MUFE Aqua Cream #13 in its metallic effect.
i didn't have problems with creasing or fading (but that's due to Urban Decay's PP), it didn't get into my eyes and irritate them as well.
this Glimmer is definitely something for fans of highly shimmery eyeshadows, and as i am, i'm a bit curious to try out some more shades...
but in the end i find it too expensive for this little mixture of mica and different pigments and feel that you pay for the brand name and marketing although they aren't even attractive to me.

Apr 29, 2011

today i want to review my latest foundation acquisition. i ordered the Hourglass Veil Liquid Makeup from Ludwig Beck Munich (Hautnah in den 5 Höfen), i heard so much good stuff about it and was really in the mood for Hourglass & for foundation ;)
it contains 30ml and costs 49€ in germany, on zuneta.com (uk) it would cost something above 50€. the sales associate was very kind and packed a lot of great samples (md skincare & stri-vectin) for me because i didn't find something else in their range to order to get above 50€ for free delivery and had to pay the extra 4.50€ shipping cost.
it's oil free and has a spf of 15. for some of you it may be of note that this foundation is vegan.
this is what the official site claims about it:

unfortunately the pump of the foundation bottle has screwed open a bit during transportation and some product leaked out. but since it wasn't that much and shouldn't have harmed the foundation, i didn't do anything about it.
the packaging is of high quality as always with Hourglass. it's a dark brown glass bottle (not completely opaque, you will be able to see how much product is left if you hold it against the light) with a precise glossy dark bronze pump and cap.

the cardboard packaging looks weird because a little bit of foundation ran out inside.

ingredients

i chose the shade No.1, looking it up it was suggested for fair-medium skin with yellow undertones (i'm NC20-25 in MAC, so i guessed it would match). and it matches me quite well but again is still darker han my cheesy-white chest :P and i would look like a ghost trying to adapt to it. it has a slightly peach undertone, which makes the complexion look fresh and healthy and doesn't create a dull grey cast like with foundations which are too yellow.

a drop of: Hourglass Veil foundation in No.1 - MAC Pro Longwear NC20

Hourglass Veil foundation No.1 freshly applied

Hourglass Veil foundation No.1 10 minutes after application

it has a really weird scent, it smells fruity sweet but warm and creamy, like moldy tangerines. when i rub it on my hand, it created a cinnamon scent. very unusual for a foundation. (do you have this foundation also? does it smell like this or has mine probably gone bad?)
the Hourglass Veil has a creamy consistency and a fine texture without too much slip or silicone-y feel. so it spreads a bit harder than with other foundations. on freshly moisturised skin it blends easier, of course. i tried to use my fingers and also the BeautyBlender to apply it, i definitely got a better result with the BeautyBlender sponge. it doesn't settle into fine lines or enlarged pores
it doesn't darken on me. it has a light-medium coverage and a sheer, dewy finish. it doesn't last very well on my oily skin, i get quite greasy at the afternoon, even if i set it with loose powder. it still is there and covering up, but is not oil controlling in any kind (rather nourishing, so dry skins would love it!) and a grease film will sit on top about 5-6 hours after application. it may be water resistant but can't resist my oils :)
since i really like the dewy glowy finish, i'm going to figure out a way to use it like blot it more regularly, or mix with long lasting formulas, use it in winter time. this foundation belongs to the "high maintenance" group for me which can't be worn everyday like the "slap on and no worry" group ;)
it didn't irritate my skin or made me break out yet. i also have not used it regularly and often enough to notice any skin care benefits.

this is how it looks applied: (on 2 different days) +/- brows filled in, under eye concealer, nothing else.

i ordered one more of Guerlain's recently released cream/liquid eyeshadows, the Ombre Fusion in 03 Maya. click here for my review of 02 Havana.
it contains 6ml and costs 28.95€. i ordered it on douglas.de. with the code 293DEDM i could save 5€ and only paid 23.95€. i also used mobil548 to get one more of Hilfiger Woman rollerball perfumes (i own about 7 now, most of them will be goodies, giveaways, little extras to gifts,...).

the beautiful packaging is just like the one of their KissKiss Glosses, but have a matte plastic bottom part and a dark maroon glossy top. it has a little doe foot applicator.

now to the big downside of this: it get's really messy. by putting the applicator in and out several times, it creates an overpressure inside the tube and the rather liquidy product will swell out of the insufficient stopper, making the opening hole messy and wastes a lot of product. it's like if your lipgloss runs out.
i didn't experience this with the other shade i own, but heaven forbid!

look how much product stays on the upper part of the wand, it will sum up and flow over :(

when you close the tube, it gets squeezed out...

03 Maya is a shimmery dark maroon shade with pink and gold microglitters, which are even more visible after blending out the product and create a nice and warm copper shimmer on the lid. this shade blends out quite sheer, but you can easily layer it to a more intense colour. it's a nice shade for an effortless brown smokey eye.
it has the same texture like the other shade, Havana. it feels liquidy and seems hard to blend when firstly dabbed onto the skin, but settles to a more silicone-creamy texture in a few seconds and is easily to blend. even if it seems like it would have been set completely, you can still blend out harsh edges to an even fade. this seems the most special attribute with this texture. other than other cream or liquid eyeshadows i have tried, these don't set completely and are non-smudge-able or blendable, they will set, but you still have some time after they have dried.
the shimmer is evenly distributed after blending, that's the other thing i like about these. they make the colours look deeper and more complex, lay on the colour like a second veil of finest sparkling fiery bits and really enhance the light in your eyes. they somewhat remember me of the effect of Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Silk Eyeshadows in enhancing your eyes, but much softer, much more subtle and not as metallic-glowing.
this shade also lasted really well on me, 9h+ without creasing even when i didn't use a lid primer first (i never wear a lid primer under cream eyeshadows, i find that they will loose their lightweight-look that way).
i like to use this darker shade as an effortless smokey wash of colour&shimmer on the lid on it's own even though it would also be a good base shade for powder shadows. (i know i say "effortless" too often these days, but that's just my ultimate goal for summer. enhance your features but look effortless and natural.)
i hope the problem with the packaging doesn't return. i cleaned it thoroughly and have to handle it even more carefully from now on.

this is how it looks applied, i used it with a MAC217-type brush on the upper lid and with the MAC242 on the lower lashline.